Total RPG interview with Dan Owsen
interview archived at: http://web.archive.org/web/20010715234633/www.totalrpg.net/features.asp?FeatureID=20
The quote of interest in this interview with Dan Owsen, English script writter for A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, and Ocarina of Time, is where he is asked about Miyamoto's statement of the chronological order of the Zelda series. Basically a couple of months before, Miyamoto made the statement about the ordering of the Zelda series that had contradicted previously said information, namely placing A Link to the Past after the first two Zeldas, and Link's Awakening anywhere after Ocarina of Time. Here Dan Owsen sort of tries to back up Miyamoto's statement, but given the previous information of the ordering of ALttP and LA, my guess is because Miyamoto "said" this order, Owsen must have figured they made a mistake several years back. Commenting to Miyamoto's "order", Owsen adds that since Link's Awakening might or might not have been a dream, its difficult to place where it goes. But then, that only works if you ignore any and all references Link's Awakening made to A Link to the Past, namely the first paragraph in the manual's backstory, and all the in game references. Even at the same time, NCL's Link's Awakening DX website went through the trouble to be specific on the game's backstory references.
INTERVIEW WITH DAN OWSEN
Posted 2/22/99, 11:51:57 PMJohn pried for such knowledge as upcoming N64 RPGs, the future of Ogre Battle 3 and some clarification on the deceptive Zelda story line. There is also news on upcoming Pokémon releases, as well as some interesting tidbits on a possible Game Boy Color conversion of the NES Zelda titles of old. Dan even was forced to submit to John's pleas and give his stance on RPGs as we know them.
It's time, then, to sit back and enjoy Total RPG's very first interview.
SITTING DOWN WITH DANO
John: Firstly, thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Owsen. We appreciate your being here today. To start, could you state Nintendo's view on RPGs? It appears Nintendo has not been in favor of them, if you look at the lack of titles on the N64. Especially when you compare that to the Super NES, where they flourished. Have any deals with Square been talked about, or is that a possibility?
Dan: I can't really speak for Nintendo, however, it's my impression that Mr. Miyamoto's team (NCL EAD) feels their game development strengths lie in other areas, so they leave the RPGs to other companies who are more specialized in that genre. However, NCL EAD has directed RPGs in the past, like Super Mario RPG and EarthBound, so I know there is interest and ability in working on the RPG category. Fire Emblem, which is more of a strategy/RPG was actually directed by a different group.
I think economics are the main reason that Nintendo doesn't spend more time on RPGs. In Japan, companies like Enix and Square are so entrenched in the RPG market it is hard for anyone else to make an economically feasible RPG for the Japanese market. In the US, believe it or not, RPGs are still something of a niche market (Final Fantasy VII I think only sold a little over a million here). Games like Super Mario 64 and Zelda 64 outsell RPGs by a huge margin! However, RPGs take TONS more development resources than other games, especially if you start throwing FMV into them.
John: Do you think we are going to see any RPGs for the N64? Do you yourself enjoy playing RPGs?
Dan: I think we will see some more RPGs for N64. Ogre Battle 3 is probably going to come out in the US, and of course EarthBound 64 is in development. I have to say that I am not a huge RPG fan (yes, I know, that's blasphemy!). I prefer more action-oriented games, sports games, and historical strategy games.
The main reason I don't like RPGs is because I don't believe they are truly role-playing games. For the most part, you are following a set story line with few branches. Menu driven combat is boring to me, even if you have flashy graphics for the attacks and spells. If I want to play a true role-playing game, I'll sit down with some friends and play some Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. That kind of interaction and role-playing can't be matched by a pre-programmed computer adventure. Of course that assumes you have a creative dungeon master and players!
John: No RPGs! Hmm... I won't comment too much on that. We'll just mosey on along with this interview... I can't believe it...
Dan, it appears something about the The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past translation is jumbled. It is said the events played out in Ocarina of Time were the events that happened in the story of A Link to the Past, and therefor were to solve many story holes. But if Zelda 3's instruction manual is read, these events sound completely different, and now there seem to be more holes than ever. It clearly states on the back of the box of A Link to the Past that it was a prequel to Zeldas 1 and 2, but Miyamoto says it comes after them. What's the truth?
Dan: The truth is, the text on the box (and possibly the Nintendo Power guide) is wrong. D'oh! If you just ignore the box text, the stories fit together better. Basically, the events in Ocarina are the "Imprisoning War" described in the SNES version's story. The Golden Land was the Sacred Realm before Ganondorf corrupted it. The order of the stories is: Ocarina, Zelda 1, Zelda 2, A Link to the Past. Since Link's Awakening was a dream (or was it?) it's hard to say where it fits.
John: Hmm... well, are there any plans being made to re-release the first two NES Zelda's for the Game Boy Color? That would be superb!
Dan: Not yet, but I think it's a possibility. I've heard that it's relatively easy to convert NES games to Game Boy Color. I don't think the team would want to just convert them. If they were going to make these games for Game Boy Color, they'd want to enhance them to really take advantage of GBC's hardware, and to add other extras to make playing the games worthwhile to those who have already finished the NES versions. The GBC hardware is actually very powerful. It's basically a brand new system. People are going to be pleasantly surprised by some of the things coming for GBC.
John: Now that's good news! Onward...
Upon the release of Pokémon for the Gameboy, did the sales exceed any expectations Nintendo had? Its success is overwhelming, so are there being plans for other future releases of the game, such as Pokémon Stadium or Pokémon Pinball? Concerning Pokémon Pinball, are there plans to release the Game Boy Rumble Pak that accommodates the title?
Dan: Although the success of Pokémon didn't really exceed the expectations of some people here at NOA (we were confident it would be a hit) it did surprise some people. Specific future plans for Pokémon haven't really been decided yet, but it should be obvious that the success Pokémon has shown so far will mean additional Pokémon games for the US. If Pokémon Pinball comes out I'm sure it will use the Game Boy Rumble Pak cartridge.
John: Until now, NOA didn't actually develop any games (or other Nintendo products). However, it was recently announced that a couple of development teams have now been set up in Redmond. What are the jobs of these new teams? What are they doing, and what games are they working on? Are you directly involved with these teams? It is rumored various sports-related titles are in development. Is this true?
Dan: The new development teams here at Nintendo are making games and development tools for N64. I'm not really involved with them and they keep everything pretty hush-hush, so I'm not sure exactly what they're working on. I know they will be held to high standards, so hopefully they'll come up with some great things. As far as I know, our sports titles are developed out of house by companies (like Angel Studios and Left Field) and are managed by the Tree House, so I don't think the internal groups are working on those.
John: Now, on to the final hour of our interview...
Why did Nintendo of America decide to buy the publishing rights to Ogre Battle 3?
Dan: Obviously RPGs are lacking on N64 right now, although I think Quest and Zelda will fill some of the gaps. Still, we need more titles in this genre and Ogre Battle fits the bill. I'm not sure about the status of the deal for Ogre Battle 3 right now.
John: What are your thoughts of Ogre Battle 3, the next installment of the most popular sim/RPG series in Japan?
Dan: To be honest I haven't really seen much of it. I did play the Super NES versions and thought they were a little weird. I can still remember the foofy voice from the "Liberation" sequence (I think there was voice...).
John: Yes, there was actual speech in Ogre Battle, but none in Tactics Ogre. Anyway, does Nintendo plan to retain the mature content of Ogre Battle 3's story line and dialogue, much in the way that Enix and Altus preserved the mature content in Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre?
Dan: I don't know the nature of the content you're referring to so it's hard to say. I know with the wide acceptance of the ESRB rating guidelines, it's possible to have more mature content in games. I think Nintendo's goal has always been to create games that appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Any time our games are edited to remove content, it is for that goal. Let's face it, a lot of what people think of as "mature" content in many games is really gratuitous. Removing it has no effect on the quality of the game. What really gets me is when people call this censorship. It's not censorship! It seems to me that Nintendo is not challenging anyone's legal rights to see this kind of material, it is merely exercising its own right to not have its name associated with things that may be offensive. Of course, this is just my take on the situation and shouldn't be construed to be the official opinion of Nintendo.
John: Of course that's not Nintendo's statement, we'll just quote you on it later. But, for the final question, why is Nintendo taking out Ogre Battle 3's sub-title, as where the previous two games' sub-titles remained intact?
Dan: I don't think anything has been decided 100% about this game's title yet.
John: Alright, once again, everyone at Total RPG would like to thank you for your extended grace and cooperation for this splendid opportunity. Hopefully a couple of reader's questions were answered today. Keep an eye out for more specials, such as this one!
